The Revelation of Christ – Part 9:
Laodicea the Church God Hates - HOFC
Pastor Bruce A. Shields
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SERMON
INTRODUCTION
The
Book of Revelation, or the Revelation of Christ, is the most difficult book in
the bible.
Because
of this fact, many avoid it, or ignore it all together. Some fear lack of
understanding, others afraid to misinterpret, which I guess it is better to
avoid than dive in and get it completely wrong.
Many
times, when a new believer comes to me for direction, they want to jump right
into Revelation and find out what’s to come.
This
is equivalent to deciding one day to learn Mandarin and sitting down to author
a novel in Chinese that very same day.
Or,
a kindergartener learning how to count, and then trying to calculate quantum
mechanics calculations.
The
words in Revelation have caused much debate on rapture, judgement, even some
who claim John was writing about the events in his day in code rather than
Jesus Christ revealing to him about the coming events and Judgment.
A
special blessing is promised to those who read Revelation.
Although
it may be a difficult book, we could all use a special blessing, reading this
is good for us all, and with the help of the Holy Spirit, we will take the
Revelation of Christ in small portions and gain understanding, little by
little.
SERMON SERIES
THE THINGS WHICH
ARE – The Church Age (Age of Grace)
Part 4 – Smyrna The
Steadfast Church
Part 5 – Pergamos The Immoral Church
Part 6 – Thyatira The Careless Pagan Church
Part 7 – Sardis The Spiritless Church
Part 8 – Philadelphia The Favored Church
Part 9 – Laodicea The Church God Hates
THE THINGS WHICH
SHALL BE – The Coming Judgment
Part 10 – The Throne of God
Part 11 – The Living Creatures (Various Angels)
Part 12 – Heavenly Worship (As it is in Heaven)
Part 13 – The Sealed Book (Various Books)
Part 14 – The Lion and the Lamb
Part 15 – The First 6 Seals
Part 16 – The 144,000 Jews
Part 17 – The Tribulation Saints
Part 18 – The Seventh Seal
Part 19 – The First 4 Trumpets
Part 20 – The 5th Trumpet
Part 21 – The 6th Trumpet
Part 22 – The Mighty Angel
Part 23 – The Two Witnesses
Part 24 – The Seventh Trumpet
Part 25 – The Woman and the Dragon
Part 26 – Manchild
Part 27 – Michael
Part 28 – Overcomers
Part 29 – Persecution
Part 30 – Antichrist
Part 31 – The Lamb
More sermons in the series listed in Part 1
TODAY’S SERMON
Part 9 – Laodicea The Church God Hates
SCRIPTURE READING
Revelation
3:14 - 22
“To the angel
of the church in Laodicea write:
These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true
witness, the ruler of God’s creation. 15 I know your deeds, that you are
neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because
you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.
17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But
you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18 I
counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich;
and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve
to put on your eyes, so you can see.
19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be
earnest and repent. 20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone
hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and
they with me.
21 To the one who is victorious, I will give the right
to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my
Father on his throne. 22 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says
to the churches.”
I.
INTRODUCTION
a.
To the angel of the church in Laodicea write
i. The “angel” is an earthly
messenger of God, not a heavenly one.
ii. A heavenly one would not
require a “letter” to be written and given to the heavenly anger by John.
iii. This earthly messenger of
God OF THE CHURCH is a pastor
b.
These are the words of
i. The Amen
1. In scripture Amen is used in
a legal sense (Deuteronomy 27:14-26), to agree upon something
like a law or judgment.
2. So, Christ calling himself
the “Amen” is another sign that the entire book of Revelation is connected to
the law. Revelation is the fulfillment of the law. More specifically it is
primarily a detailed explanation of the judgments that will be meted out upon
the earth in the Tribulations.
3. The Lord is the agreement
upon the requirements of the Law
ii. The faithful and true
witness
1. Showing His contrast to the
church He addresses, which has not been faithful nor true
iii. The ruler of God’s creation
1. “In the beginning was the
Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the
beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made
that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all
mankind.” – John 1:1-4
2. “Then Jesus came to them and
said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” – Matthew
28:18
3. “I am the Living One; I was
dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of
death and Hades (Sheol
– abode to departed spirits).” – Revelation 1:18
4. “Therefore, there is now
no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ
Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin
and death.” – Romans 8:1-2
5. “For the wages of sin is
death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Romans
6:23
iv. Therefore, Jesus created,
has all authority over, life is in Him, He holds the keys to death and departed
spirits, and He alone decides the wages due.
v. He IS the RULER of God’s
creation!
c.
I know your deeds
i. You are neither hot nor cold
1. Hot coffee, yummy.
2. Iced coffee, yummy.
3. Room temperature
coffee…blah.
4. People who know the Lord and
serve Him, super!
5. People who have not heard
the Gospel yet, possibilities!
6. People who know the Truth
but ride the fence. God hates this.
a. Lukewarm, tepid,
wishy-washy, know the truth and follow it when it suits them
b. Calling themselves followers
of Christ but living like the world
c. Going to church on Sunday
but not spending any time in the word, never reading, praying, talking with God
during the week
d. People who claim Christ, but
live, act, or fight for things that are in direct opposition to Christ
e. Worldly churches
f. Laodicea was a worldly,
flashy church who bragged about having money, they were self-indulgent, showy,
filled with worldly pride
ii. I wish you were one or the
other
1. The Lord loves the saved and
unsaved but has no use for those who know the truth, yet do not commit to Him.
iii. Because you are Lukewarm, -
neither hot nor cold – I am about to spew you out of my mouth
1. Because they reject the
truth, the Lord will reject (spew out) them.
II.
SELF-INDULGENT, RICH AND FLASHY FULL OF WORLDLY PRIDE
a.
YOU SAY (Worldly pride and point of view)
i. I am rich (they look at
money)
ii. I have acquired wealth
(claim responsibility for gain)
iii. I do not need a thing
(self-reliant)
b.
But you don’t realize (God’s point of view)
i. You are wretched (worthless)
1. All things in heaven and on
earth will pass away (Matthew 24:35)
2. But the Lord’s Words will
not
3. Your “things” and “money”
will be gone!
ii. You are pitiful (disgraceful,
shameful)
iii. You are poor (real value is
in the Lord Words, which they lacked)
iv. You are blind (could not
“see” Spiritually, they were stuck on worldly vision and appearances)
v. You are naked (thought they
were “covered”, but their “fig leaves” were no covering before the Lord. What
they needed was a sacrifice for clothing, the “white garments” of Christ which
we MUST have for judgment day!”
c.
I counsel you to BUY FROM ME
i. Buy from me
1. Not with money, but the
precious blood of Christ!
2. We can obtain that which the
Lord is selling by our accepting His sacrifice for payment!
ii. Gold refined in the fire so
you can be rich
1. The gold refined by fire
here is the Words of Christ, tested and true through the judgment (fire) of
God.
2. The ONLY gold of value!
iii. White clothes to wear to
cover your nakedness
1. The covering of Christ
iv. Salve to put on your eyes so
you can see
1. The Salve is the Holy
Spirit, which, once received, gives us the ability to “see” things through
spiritual eyes instead of worldly vision which deceived this church into
thinking they were rich, and they had acquired wealth themselves and were in need
of nothing, when spiritually speaking, they needed everything and had nothing!
III.
CORRECTION
a.
Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline
i. Rebuke (to scold)
1. If the Lord loves you, He
will tell you what you are doing wrong!
ii. Discipline (correction)
1. If the Lord loves you, He
will discipline you, which means to correct you, so you return to the narrow
path!
b.
Here I am
i. I stand at the door and
knock
1. Always ready, always
waiting, always wanting to forgive you
ii. If anyone hears my voice AND opens the door
1. We may hear the truth, know
the truth, read the truth, listen to the truth, BUT
2. If we do not properly
RESPOND to the truth, then the truth does us NO GOOD
3. We must respond to His call
(knocking) and open the door!
iii. I will come in and eat with
that person, and they with me
c.
To the one who is victorious
i. How are you victorious here?
1. Do not think you are right
with God just because you have money
2. Do not think you have
acquired anything of your own power
3. Do not think there is
nothing left for you to NEED
4. Get the Word to be rich,
acquire the white garment of salvation from Christ, and receive the salve of
the Holy Spirit to see spiritually while you are here on earth!
5. To those;
ii. I will give you the right to
sit with me on my throne
iii. Just as I was victorious and
sat down with my Father on His throne
CONCLUSION
– Whoever has ears, let him hear what the
Spirit says to the churches
What
are the rewards the Lord promises to the Victorious?
Ephesus
- To the one who is VICTORIOUS I (Jesus) will give the right to eat from the tree
of life, which is in the
Paradise of God.
Smyrna - The one who is VICTORIOUS will
not be hurt at all by the second death.
Pergamos
- The one who is VICTORIOUS I will give some of the hidden manna. I
will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known
only to the one who receives it.
Thyatira
– To the one who is VICTORIOUS (Repents of Jezebels false teachings, or never
fell for them to begin with) I will give authority over the nations
(Kingdom Age Rule) that one “will rule them with an iron scepter and will dash
them to pieces like pottery” (Psalm 2:9) Just as I have received authority from my
Father. I will also give that one the morning star.
Sardis
- The one who is VICTORIOUS will, like them (the ones who did not soil
their garments with sin), be dressed in white. I will never blot out the
name of that person (the one who remains in the truth and doesn’t soil
their garments with sinful living) from the book of life, but will acknowledge
that name before my Father and his angels.
Philadelphia
– To the one who is Victorious (enduring patiently & keeping Christ the
Head of the Church), I will make a pillar in the Temple of my God. Never
again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God, the name of
the city of my God, the New Jerusalem. I will also write on them MY NEW NAME.
Laodicea – The
one who is victorious (opening the door for Christ to come in) I
will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and
sat down with my Father on his throne.
Whosoever has ears, let them hear
what the Spirit says to the churches.
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